While the Motorola Droid Pro isn’t the sleekest-looking Android phone around, it does pair both a touchscreen and a keyboard in an easy-to-use candybar slate form factor.  More importantly, it brings plenty of strengths that make it a good option for a business phone.

Physically, it looks a bit odd -- almost like somebody took the Droid and attached a QWERTY keypad right below the display.  That shouldn't be that big of a deal, though, since this is a business phone, so a little industrial aesthetic wouldn't hurt.   As a result of the design, it's a tad big, but it remains pocketable.

Display is a 3.1-inch capacitive touchscreen (320 x 480 resolution), which is bright and colorful but pales against many other options when it comes to sharpness.  Touch interface is sufficiently responsive.  The four-row keyboard is almost as good as the ones on Blackberry devices.  Suffice to say, typing is a positive experience.

As a phone, the Motorola Droid Pro makes for average call quality.  Audio sounded good for the most part, although we encountered background noises a couple of times.  Those on the other end reported excellent reception, so the problems were only on our end.  Speakerphone was good and should be usable outdoors.  Battery life is rated at 6.5 hours.

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In the market for a rugged smartphone?  If you've looked around, you probably noticed that there aren't plenty of options out there.  Lucky for you, Motorola decided to fill the void with the Motorola Defy, a durable-bodied slate handset running Android 2.1.

Physically, it's notably sleek and slim for a rugged device.   The design does have that rough-and-tumble aesthetic, though, so the lines aren't quite as elegant as more popular Android phones.  Still, the rounded corners and half-inch thickness make it a pleasant departure from the typically industrial looks of durability-focused handsets.    Screen is  a 3.7-inch capacitive touchscreen (480 x 854), with Corning Gorilla glass covering it for heavy-duty protection.  Display is gorgeous with an excellent touch response.

The ports are covered with rubberized stoppers to keep water from seeping in.  While it doesn't quite cut the military specifications of most rugged phones (resistance to salt, fog, humidity, and solar radiation), it does make a nice compromise between style and durability.

As a phone the Motorola Defy makes for excellent calls.  Sound on both ends of the conversation were pristine, with almost no discernible background noises.  Speakerphone added just a hint of echo, but performed similarly well.  Battery is rated at 8 hours of talk time, which should easily last you the day (likely more).

Just like most of Motorola's Android releases, it comes with an enhanced version of Motoblur, which I personally prefer over the default Android experience.  The 800MHz processor was duly capable of servicing most tasks, with lags only occurring after having many apps open.  Wireless data speeds over 3G were very good, as well, with YouTube videos playing smoothly after just a few seconds of buffering.

All the usual smartphone capabilities are onboard, including various voice features, Bluetooth, WiFi and GPS (with Telenav and Google Maps Navigation support).   Messaging is adeptly handled, with SMS, MMS, IM and email (including corporate mail) easily within reach.  Google's roster of apps are onboard, too, along with a few extra ones, such as QuickOffice, Social Networking and Media Share.

For music and videos, it relies on stock Android tools and it delivers an average experience.  There's DLNA support, though, so you can share your media files with other devices in the house.   The 5.0 megapixel camera took decent shots, which could have used a little more brightness (even with the LED flash involved).

Overall, the Motorola Defy sits alone in a market category no manufacturer seems to be paying attention to.  Even if ruggedness isn't a primary consideration, it is quite a solid purchase at $99.99 on a two-year contract with T-Mobile.

Still in the market for a cheap, entry-level smartphone?  You might want to fix your attention on the Motorola Citrus, a compact Android handset with some fairly decent specs.

Granted, it's not the prettiest candy bar touchscreen on the block.  Body is made from 25 percent post-consumer recycled plastic, though, so there's a fair excuse for the less than stellar appearance.  There are other green credentials, as well: it's CarbonFree-certified via Carbonfund, is cleared from a couple of hazardous materials (PVC and BFR), and uses 80 percent post-consumer recycled paper in the packaging.

Details of the Motorola Citrus include a 3-inch capacitive touchscreen (320 x 240 resolution), a 3.0 megapixel camera module, aGPS, 3G with HSPA, WiFi, stereo Bluetooth, a 3.5mm jack,  microSD card expansion (2GB preinstalled) and a 1,150 mAh battery.  It measures 104 x 59 x 15 mm and weighs 110 grams.

A 528MHz Qualcomm CPU moves the action along, running Android 2.1 at the helm.  It's got the familiar suite of Google services (Gmail, YouTube, Calendar and Gtalk), along with Motoblur on top.  Search and Maps, though, were replaced with Microsoft's Bing Search and Bing Maps, respectively.

The Motorola Citrus is out now, priced at an affordable $49.99 on a new two-year agreement (after a $100 mail-in rebate) with Verizon Wireless.

[Motorola via Engadget]

Handsets bearing that cute square form factor are usually feature phones, designed for heavy messaging users.  The Motorola Flipout departs from the norm, putting a full-featured Android smartphone inside the pudgy frame.

Physically, the device sports 2.64 x 2.65 x 0.67 inch dimensions, allowing it to fit even in smaller pockets.   Despite the compact stature, the hardware's overall construction feels sturdy.  Instead of sliding to reveal the QWERTY keyboard, it uses a swivel mechanism, similar to the Nokia Twist.   It sports a 2.8-inch touchscreen (320 x 240 resolution), which is a tad too small for comfortable fingering.  Keyboard is especially roomy, though, making for very good typing.

As a phone, the Motorola Flipout makes for clear calls with very little interference on both ends of the conversation.  It could probably use a little more volume, as it becomes a bit difficult to use in crowded environments.  Speakerphone performed somewhat below average.  Do note: you'll need to flip out the keyboard to make calls, which is odd.  Battery life is rated at 4.6 hours of talk time, which should easily last you an entire day of regular use.

In terms of features, it sits right in the middle of the Android pack.  All the basic voice functionalities are intact (with quad-band world support), along with full messaging capabilities, including SMS, MMS, IM and email with universal inbox (POP3, IMAP and corporate).  It's fairly usable as a business device, as well, with calendar syncing and Quickoffice in tow.  Social networking fans should  have plenty to chew on, too, as it has Motoblur UI running over Android 2.1.

The usual set of connectivity options are on board - aGPS, WiFi, 3G and Bluetooth.  Data speeds over 3G were uneven, with pages loading at rather irregular rates. Web browsing and video playback were fairly average for Android handsets, although the small display makes both activities unsatisfying as a whole.

Music playback is similarly average and uses the stock Android player.  The 3.1 megapixel camera offers limited editing options and takes fairly reasonable photo quality.   Aside from the usual Google suite of apps, it also includes a helping of AT&T's numerous services.

Overall, the Motorola Flipout feels a lot better than its diminutive frame suggests.  The keyboard is impressive, although the screen is a bit too small for comfort.    You can get it from AT&T, priced at $79.99 on a two-year agreement.

Want an Android phone, don't need a touchscreen slab?   You may want to give the Motorola Charm an audition.

Clad in a slim QWERTY candybar form factor, it's easy to mistake it for a Blackberry clone.  It's not the sleekest messaging-style handset we've seen, but it does have its own...uhm...charm.  The squared-off 2.8-inch touchscreen (320 x 240 resolution) feels too small for viewing most webpages, but it does work fine for most other uses.  It's capacitive too, making for excellent touch controls.  Motorola also added a navigation pad on the back of the phone that surprisingly works better than we expected.  Keypad is roomy and has a good tactile feel.

As a phone, the Motorola Charm makes for good calls, with voices just sounding with a little bit of echo.  Audio is clear, though.  Speakerphone isn't that good and will probably be unusable in crowded environments.  Battery is rated at 5 hours of talk time, making for over a day of use before recharges.

The phone runs Motoblur, which adds a number of useful stuff, such as a universal inbox, a socially-connected contacts list and a bunch of widgets.  While we do like the extra functionality, the UI layer does leave the screen a bit cluttered.  An underpowered 600MHz processor controls the action, which does wilt a little once you start to have a whole host of apps running.

It comes with the usual smartphone capabilities (threaded chat view, Bluetooth, aGPS, WiFi), along with the host of features that go with Android 2.1 (multiple home screens, robust messaging with Exchange support, speech-to-text and more).  Running on T-Mobile's network, it gives fast 3G speeds, with YouTube clips running smoothly after some short buffering.  Both the media player and HTML browser are stock, so don't expect much excitement there.  The 3-megapixel camera takes rather disappointing pictures.

Overall, we love the design of the Motorola Charm.  While I'm not swayed by its looks, it does offer an alternative for users who want a slim Android phone with a QWERTY keyboard.  Plus, it's priced pretty sweet at $74.99 on a two-year contract with T-Mobile.

We're not sure how rugged a slim and sleek smartphone can be, but Motorola claims their latest device "has been designed to handle everything that life throws your way."  Called the Motorola Defy, it's a semi-rugged Android phone with a specs list you typically don't see in handsets marketed for their durability.

While the pleasant 59 x 107 x 13.4 mm frame isn't  rugged enough to survive hard drops onto concrete, it claims dust-proof and water-resistant qualities.  The screen is scratch-proof, as well, so typical clumsy handling (read: your regular use) should leave it unscathed.

Details of the Defy include a 3.7-inch touchscreen (480 x 800 resolution), a 5.0 megapixel camera module with LED flash, aGPS, 3G (7.2Mbps HSDPA), WiFi, stereo Bluetooth, 3.5mm audio jack, DLNA support, microSD card expansion (up to 32GB) and a 1540 mAh battery (rated at over 6.5 hours of talk time).  It comes with Motorola's CrystalTalk Plus, which uses dual microphones to better drown out background noise.  There's no word on the CPU, but it gets 512MB of RAM and a hefty 2GB of ROM.

It's running Android 2.1 (so, no full Flash for you),  but it will feature Motoblur 1.5 on top.  You'll get all the usual Android fare, including robust messaging, Google's suite of services and support for third-party apps.  Honestly, this sounds pretty good, especially when you factor in the water resistance.

The Motorola Defy will debut in Europe sometime in the fourth quarter.  No word on carrier, specific markets or pricing has been given.

[Motorola via Gizmodo]

Not to be confused with the original Milestone (which is known in the US as the Droid), the Motorola Milestone XT720 is a newer model, which ditches the slide-out keyboard and takes on an odd styling.  It doesn't have the raw CPU power of other new high-end Android phones, but makes up for it with a solid set of hardware features.

Physically, it takes on a slate design, but includes an odd bump on the lower right side that's used for displaying a variety of LED indicators.  Personally, I like the unique touch, although I can imagine a lot of people finding it unnecessary.  Screen is a 3.7-inch capacitive touchscreen (480 x 854 resolution).  It manages a very crisp display, with bright colors and sharpness to spare.  Touch interface is quick and responsive.

As a phone, the Milestone XT720 managed good calls, with loud volume and no interference.  Those on the other end reported the same thing, citing very clear audio.  Speakerphone added some echo, but was serviceable even in loud environments.  Battery is rated at 4.5 hours of talk time, so expect to charge every night or so.

Like other Android 2.1 phones, it comes with the staple Google suite of apps, robust messaging and other OS-based features, aside from access to lots more via the Android Market.  It runs on a 720MHz CPU.  While far from the 1GHz performers now flooding the market, it performs most tasks without hitch, although it would occasionally act in a sluggish manner when you have a fair share of apps open.

Standard capabilities include quad-band world roaming, smart dialing, Bluetooth 2.1 and aGPS.  A few notable preinstalled apps include QuickOffice, a Phone Portal utility (for managing phone content on a PC over WiFi or USB) and an all-in-one social networking app.  It uses the default standard browser, with pinch-to-zoom and Flash lite.

Multimedia playback is typical for an Android phone, so it's nothing special.  It does have a high-res 8.0 megapixel camera with a Xenon flash and 720p recording.  Stills look very good outdoors and very usable indoors, while the video has nice colors but remains somewhat grainy.

Overall, the Motorola Milestone XT720 is a full-featured Android 2.1 phone with a high-res camera and good overall performance as its main selling point.  It costs $460 unlocked, but probably isn't the best deal available when Cincinatti Bell releases it for $199.99 on contract.

It hasn’t even been a year since the original Droid first rolled out, but Android's current boom makes rushing the new releases understandable.  The Motorola Droid 2 brings enough changes to make it a proper upgrade: faster processor, higher RAM and a generally better experience.

Physically, it sports a very refined design, much more so than its predecessor.  While big, it can still be crammed into your pocket.  Well...barely.  Construction appears solid and the sliding mechanism is very sturdy.

A 3.7-inch capacitive touchscreen (480 x 854 resolution) sits in front.  It's vibrant, very sharp and extremely responsive.  The keyboard, with its raised keys, is a big improvement over the original, although it's still not the softest to use.

As a phone, the Droid 2 makes for good calls. Audio is clear and went through without much interruption, although it's far from sounding natural.  Those on the other end reported a similar experience.  Speakerphone is usable, with loud volume.  Battery is rated at 9.6 hours of talk time, making good for a full two days (at least, a day and a half) of use for moderate users.

We like the toned-down version of the Motoblur UI on the phone, which does its job without getting in the way.  It's a far cry from the original version on the Cliq, feeling much more refined and fleshed-out.  By the way, this is running Android 2.2 out of the box, which means you get all the latest features, including Flash 10.1.

Armed with a 1GHz processor, the Droid 2 breezed through most tasks.  Data speeds were average, with YouTube playing continuously after a few seconds of buffering.  It comes with the usual Android strengths, from robust messaging  to Google's suite of apps to social networking integration.  Some notable software features: you can have unified and separate inboxes; improved security protocols; and great contact management, with the occasional duplicates during sync.

There's the complete roster of call features, aGPS and WiFi too.  Multimedia playback is impressive, particularly for an Android phone, with audio sounding rich and videos running without hitch.  Web browsing works great, with Flash videos and games performing really well.  The 5.0 megapixel camera offers a bunch of options and average photo quality.

Overall, the Motorola Droid 2 is a nice upgrade for a very popular phone.  We don't think it's the best at anything among the current crop of Android devices, but it sure does near everything with flying colors.  It's available for $199.99 with a two year Verizon contract.

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Verizon has finally made the successor to the original Droid official.  Uncreatively billed as the Motorola Droid 2, it will be the first handset to ship with the latest Android 2.2 Froyo.

Like its predecessor, the new smartphone will pack in a heavyset collection of features, paired with a full QWERTY keyboard.  According to Motorola, the device "takes a big leap forward from the original Droid," packing a faster processor, 3G mobile hotspot capabilities (for up to 5 devices) and an upgraded keyboard, which promises to address user complaints about the previous phone's uncomfortable keypad.

Core hardware consists of a 1GHz TI OMAP processor, paired with a dedicated GPU.  Details include a 3.7-inch touchscreen display, a 5.0 megapixel camera module (with DVD-D1 video capture), aGPS (with VZ Navigator), 3G with HSPA, WiFi, DLNA wireless sharing, Bluetooth 2.1, a 3.5mm jack, 8GB of onboard storage and microSD card expansion (with another 8GB preloaded).

A semi-world phone, the handset is ready for use in up to 40 countries.  It will come with all of Froyo's updated capabilities, including hardware-accelerated support for Adobe Flash Player 10.1 and a unified calendar (both Google and corporate).

The Motorola Droid 2 will go on preorder from Verizon's website beginning tomorrow.  Price is $199.99 with a $100 mail-in rebate and a two-year customer agreement. No word on actual ship date, although it's being speculated for the 12th. A special R2-D2 version will also come sometime in September, which will come preloaded with exclusive Star Wars content and “external hardware designed to look like the trusty Droid from the film saga.”

[via Mobile Crunch]

Motorola just announced a new phone for the South Korean market.  Called the Motorola Glam (model XT800), the handset brings mid-range smartphone specs, powered by Google's Android OS.

Running Android 2.1 (Éclair), the device will run on core hardware consisting of a 550MHz Texas Instruments OMAP processor, 512MB of ROM and 256MB of RAM.  It sports a slim frame, with rounded corners, that Motorola claims feature a blend of modern design with luxury.

Details of the Glam include a generous 3.7-inch touchscreen (with 854 x 480 resolution), a 5.0 megapixel camera module with 720p video recording and dual flash, aGPS, stereo Bluetooth, 3.5mm audio port, WiFi connectivity (no word on 3G) and microSD card expansion.  Rigged for heavy multimedia use, it comes compatible with a hefty roster of audio and video codecs (DivX, AC3 and more), DLNA support and HDMI out (not sure how well that 550MHz CPU will decode your 720p videos, though).

It comes with a variety of social networking features (via Motorola's SNS app), the usual Google suite of tools  and a number of apps from Korean carrier SK Telecoms, who will be releasing it in the home turf.  No word on pricing or exact dates, but it's now got its own dedicated space on the Motorola website.

[via Unwired View]